Tips for Maintaining Weight Loss

Topic Overview

Avoid unplanned eating and drinking

Having regular low-calorie snacks throughout the day along with regular
smaller meals is a good way to manage your hunger. Plan snacks as part of your
overall calories for the day, and avoid eating unplanned calories.

Do not sample the food while
cooking.

When tempted to snack between meals, substitute a glass of
water with lemon and snack on carrot or celery sticks. Avoid sweetened drinks like sodas, special coffee drinks, energy drinks, and juices. They
add a lot of calories.

When you feel the urge to snack, try an activity that does not involve eating, such as taking a
bath, reading a book, or a hands-on activity.

Make dinner the last thing you eat until breakfast.

Measure one portion of a snack into a bowl so you aren't tempted to keep reaching into the box or bag.

Limit alcohol

Alcohol
provides a lot of calories and no nutritional benefit. The number of calories
in an alcohol drink depends on the amount of alcohol it contains. The
following are estimates of the number of calories in alcohol drinks.

Drinking 1 beer at dinner every night adds more than 4,500 extra
calories each month. This is a little more than an extra
1 lb (0.5 kg) of body weight a month. If you
drink, limiting alcohol will help you lose weight.

Make mealtimes pleasant

A meal is more than just
eating food. It can also be a social event, a time to communicate with family
and friends, and a time to relax.

This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated, disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. Learn how we develop our content.